The 2018 Bracton Law Society Scandal involved screenshots of text messages been leaked from the

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chat group of Bracton Law Society (BLS), a student law society at the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

. The

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

messages were publicised on

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

, which led to the society being dissolved and some students being suspended and expelled.

Background

Bracton Law Society was a student law society founded in the University of Exeter in 1965. It was named after English

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

Henry de Bracton Henry of Bracton (c. 1210 – c. 1268), also known as Henry de Bracton, Henricus Bracton, Henry Bratton, and Henry Bretton, was an English cleric and jurist. He is famous now for his writings on law, particularly ''De legibus et consuetudinib ...

, who was appointed the chancellor of

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The presen ...

in 1264. At its largest, BLS had more than 1000 student members and partnerships with 35 major law firms. University of Exeter student Arsalan Motavali created a WhatsApp groupchat for BLS members in November 2017. Later on, fellow University of Exeter student Matthew Bell replaced Motavali as the group administrator and changed the name to "Dodgy Blokes Soc".

Incident

Five Exeter law students sent racist,

islamophobic Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, hostility towards, or hatred against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general. Islamophobia is primarily a form of religious or cultural bigotry; and people who harbour such sentiments often stereot ...

and

sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

messages in the group, including “if you ain’t

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, go home,” “bomb the

mosques A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

,” “we need a

race war An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's position within so ...

,” and "

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

them lifeless." In March 2018, Motavali took screenshots of the conversations and posted them on

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, where they were shared more than 6000 times. He also reported the incident to the university and Exeter's students' union, Exeter Guild.

Investigation

On 20 March, the university announced that it had informed

Devon and Cornwall Police Devon and Cornwall Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial counties of Devon and Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly) in South West England. The force serves approximately 1.8 million people over an ...

alongside launching an internal investigation regarding the incident. The five students involved were suspended for a week while the investigation took place.

Reactions

Vice Chancellor Professor Sir Steve Smith said "These outcomes are subject to appeal... but they show our absolute commitment to take serious action against those whose behaviour is fundamentally at odds with the commitment to inclusivity, tolerance, and respect that lies at the heart of everything we stand for." A spokesman for the university commented "The University of Exeter does not tolerate any form of racist, sexist or bigoted behaviour and is committed to eradicating any instances of discrimination and harassment that may arise." On 19 March 2018, BLS posted on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

"Bracton Law Society has taken the decision to remove those involved from committee... The Society does not condone or tolerate such behaviour" The Students' Guild, stated that "The Students’ Guild do not tolerate this kind of behaviour. We have launched a major investigation in conjunction with the University." On 22 March, students at the university organised a peaceful protest on

Streatham campus Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

, which aimed to raise awareness of racism on campus. Bell issued an apology, stating: "I will not attempt to excuse and deny any of the statements I have made. The comments, which I shall not repeat, are inexcusable and undeniably wrong."

Aftermath

The university announced that it had suspended and expelled an unspecified number of students. Bell and Crawford were dismissed by their law firms,

Hill Dickinson Hill Dickinson is a British international commercial law firm headquartered in Liverpool, United Kingdom. With more than 200 partners and 950 staff, the firm operates from six UK offices and four overseas offices. History Hill Dickinson's origi ...

and

Reynolds Porter Chamberlain RPC (Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP) is an international law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom with offices in Bristol, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The firm employs over 1,100 professionals, including 500+ lawyers and 143 partners, ...

, respectively. Bracton Law Society was officially disbanded and replaced by a new student society. On 3 June 2018, Exeter Guild organised its first, annual Exeter Respect on Campus event which aimed to end racism on campus through food, speeches, and performing arts.

References